Michelin Power All Season

Since 'four seasons in one day' is a description often applied to the British weather, these Michelin Power All Season Road tyres should be right at home among UK riders. After a typical English June, I am pleased to confirm that the performance is every bit as reliable as Michelin claims.

The All Season is one of three tyres in the Michelin Power range, each promising better performance with less drag than its predecessors, the Pro4 series. In the case of the All Season, it's grip that's the focus of performance claims, and Michelin promises 15% more grip 'on slippery surfaces' but 5% less resistance than the Pro4 Grip. Of course, this is neither here nor there if the Pro4 Grip was a pile of dingoes' kidneys, but back in 2014 our own David Arthur gave them a solid 4 star rating (read that review here).

Michelin puts down the grip performance of the All Season tyres to two factors: the tread compound, which it says works well even in low temperatures; and its 'progressive tyre voids'. I looked this up and it means the spaces between the tread blocks. In the case of the All Season, these take the form of some fine grooves running out toward the tyre edge.

But hold on, isn't it a myth that treads on road bike tyres have any effect at all? After all, as John Stephenson points out, you would have to be going at over 200mph to aquaplane a bicycle tyre, and squirmy treads can result in extra drag. Michelin's view is that the tread increases grip (ie, drag) at the tyre edge, effectively reducing the tyre's inclination to slide sideways – 'increasing your lateral grip', as it puts it.

So, you will want to know what I found out on the road, and in short, these tyres are beautiful things if, like me, you are mainly concerned with a secure, trouble-free, quick-but-not-race-pace, comfortable day out on the bike. In the dry, it soon became fun to swing through swoopy bends, knowing you were not going to run out of road before the tyre could rail you around. I spent progressively less time dragging the brakes approaching bends on descents, as I grew used to the pressure on the levers transferring efficiently to the road. I suppose that means less wheel rim wear too.

In the wet, there must be some loss of performance – it would defy physics if it were otherwise – but any loss of grip in braking must have been counterbalanced by a loss of braking force from the wet rims, because even on lanes running with rainwater I couldn't get the tyres to slide in a straight-line brake. I finally found their limits on a particularly nasty, narrow descent where tree cover had left a stripe of sodden leaf mould down the centre line. Crossing this into a left hander, the rear tyre at last stepped out of line. No harm was done.

The tyres feel supple and I found my favoured spot at around 95psi, which gave a cushioned, luxurious ride while still allowing me to spin along at what I fondly imagine to be a good pace.

At nearly 260g for the 25mm version (slightly less than officially claimed), these are hardly lightweight, but a lot of this is in the thick tread with its Aramid 'Protek +' protection layer. Over the test period I had no punctures and the tyres shrugged off some bad treatment, such as miles of freshly dressed country lanes that had gravel rattling off the down tube. If you want race performance, the range also offers the Competition at 215g for the same width.

In my view, the only time you should be noticing your tyres when you are out riding is when they are failing you in some way – a puncture, a loss of grip, a noisy tread or a leaden, draggy feel. So perhaps the best thing I can say about these is that I never really noticed them.

Verdict

For people who just want to get on their bikes and ride, these tyres are a very good thing

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Michelin Power All Season

Size tested: 700x25c

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Michelin also produces two other tyres in the range: the Competition for high performance, and the Endurance for, er, endurance.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

According to Michelin, the All Season offers 15% more grip in the wet, but 5 Watts less drag over its predecessor.

The tyre has an Aramid Protek+ puncture protection layer, a 3x60tpi casing and comes in 23mm, 25mm and 28mm widths.

Claimed weights:

23mm: 235g

25mm: 270g

28mm: 295g

Rate the product for quality of construction:

9/10

As you would expect for a premium tyre, from a top manufacturer, quality was exemplary.

Rate the product for performance:

9/10

Just lovely, reassuring tyres to ride around on in all the conditions June could throw at me.

Rate the product for durability:

8/10

That grip has to come from somewhere and usually it's at the cost of tread wear resulting from a softer rubber compound. However, the puncture protection and general resilience of the tyre has shown to be very good over the – admittedly short – test period.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)

6/10

It's not really about the weight; if you want a lighter tyre in the same range, look for the Power Performance.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)

10/10

95psi had the bike cruising along as though it were on a cushion of air. Which, I suppose, it was.

Rate the product for value:

8/10

£8 cheaper than its predecessor, the Michelin Pro 4. If the tread life turns out to be limited, it isn't too expensive to replace.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

I don't like surprises or near-death moments on my bike and, believe me, I've had a few on the terrifying roads of the Durham Pennines – but not on these. I think people who like a fit-and-forget tyre will enjoy riding on these; for people who like it a bit sketchy, or who like to change their tyres with the weather, these might bore you with their reliability.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Smooth, quiet ride.

Reassuringly grippy.

Excellent quality.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Limited range of widths.

No tubeless option.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

Michelin promised good grip and these delivered it. I can't vouch for the -5 Watts bit – my Strava times seem to have everything to do with wind direction and speed and not much to do with tyre choice – but a tyre that allows you to brake less and corner with confidence will be, by definition, quick over the long run. The ride quality is great, so is the build quality, and the price is good too.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 50 Height: 6'2 Weight: 73kg and rising

I usually ride: Cannondale CAAD10 My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mountain biking

Hi superpython, thanks for your comments. I don't quite understand the point of your remarks. Are you saying that I couldn't have enjoyed using these tyres as much I think I did?

I did point out in the review that they are not lightweight

I also marked them down a little for longevity simply because my experience of soft compound, grippy tyres is that the life is short but I rarely buy tyres because I think they are going to last for years.

Regarding cornering in the wet, I was deliberately doing things I wouldn't normally do, just to see how far I could push these tyres before they punished me for it. It turns out I could get away with a great deal.

SP59 - what point were you trying to make about braking? Was it sarcasm about braking after the corner starts or misunderstanding or something else... Seems like some logic was lost in the froth to me...

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